Trial starts for B.C. man accused of threatening sex worker with a gun

A man accused of threatening a sex worker with a gun while wearing a mask will see his first day of trial Monday morning in B.C. Supreme Court in Vernon.

Curtis Sagmoen, 38, elected a trial by judge as he faces eight charges, including uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of a controlled substance and reckless discharge of a firearm.

The trial is under a court-ordered publication ban on any information relating to the case that’s been revealed at previous court hearings.

Sagmoen was arrested in October 2017, and has been in custody ever since, in connection to his alleged crimes in late August of that year.

Shortly after his arrest, his parents’ farm was the focus of an extensive search, where police discovered the remains of Traci Genereaux, 18, who had been missing. No charges have been laid in connection to her death.

But Sagmoen has been accused in four separate incidents of threatening or assaulting sex workers. This includes an incident in Maple Ridge back in 2013, which Sagmoen pleaded guilty to in February. For those charges, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail followed by 24 months of probation.

The trial in Vernon is expected to last seven days. Protesters are again expected outside the steps of the law courts by locals rallying for awareness of violence against women and charges to be laid in respect to Genereaux’s death.